This week Quiz Guy John Chaneski has a way with overwrought words, offering a game he calls Add-ages. He’s inflated the language of common sayings to almost unrecognizable proportions, elaborating on and over-explaining familiar time-honored advice. For instance, which familiar rhyming saying sounds a lot better than effortless materialization, effortless dematerialization? This is part of a complete episode.
Transcript of “Add-ages: A Quiz Game That Inflates Common Sayings Like “Effortless Materialization, Effortless Dematerialization””
You’re listening to A Way with Words, the show about language and how we use it.
I’m Grant Barrett.
And I’m Martha Barnette.
And back with another brain teaser to tease our brains.
It’s mister Nananabubu himself, and your listener wants a little more information?
That’s why I’ve come up with something I call addages with ad spelled a d d,’ cause we’re gonna add things.
I’m gonna over overexplain to you a common saying or piece of advice using overwrought vocabulary, and you’ll tell me the original saying.
So this is the well-actually word quiz.
Exactly.
Yeah.
For example, if I said effortless materialization, effortless dematerialization, you would say Easy come.
Easy go.
Easy come.
Easy go.
Very good.
Yes.
We’re off and running.
So let’s begin this quiz.
Adges.
It’s possible to direct an aqueous ferris cabalus to a hydration location, but it is not possible to compel it to hydrate.
You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make drink.
Exactly.
Greg, these are not gonna be hard.
It’s just more of a question.
How soon after I begin will you pick up on the answer?
Well, I was stuck on the Ferris and started thinking about railroads and iron horses and iron I see.
You’re too smart for this.
It is not recommended that those who own or rent a domicile principally constructed of a transparent amorphous solid should cast about compressed minerals.
Good advice.
Those who live in plexiglass would not throw stones’ they’ll bounce right back at you.
Even worse than glass, plexiglass’ cause it’ll just come back at you.
Right?
People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.
How about this one?
This is good advice.
A gratis midday meal is mythical.
Ain’t no such thing as a free lunch.
Those are things…
This one’s actually shorter than the original.
A gratis midday meal is mythical.
I like it.
Should something not be in need of repair, it is recommended that you make no repairs.
And ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
Very good.
Yes.
Ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
It sounds so much like a poorly translated instructions and something to order.
A problem like Timo.
That’s a vessel under observation will not at any time reach the rapid phase transition of liquid to gas.
A watched pot never boils.
Yes.
A lot more words than needed there.
Avians of similar plumage convene concertedly.
Yes.
They do.
Birds of a feather flock together.
Yes.
They do.
By necessity, all affairs that are excellent reach a conclusion.
Every good thing must end, and so must we.
All good things must come to an end just like this quiz.
Well done, guys.
Well, thank you for all that wonderful advice, John.
That was very edifying.
We know you’ve got those language puzzles that you’ve been sitting on.
Let Martha and me solve them for you.
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